JOIN OUR TEAM – MSGA IS HIRING!

The Montana Stockgrowers Association is hiring for the Director of Natural Resources position. This position is responsible for the formulation, institution, and monitoring of policies, programs, and issues related to natural resources that are affecting the cattle industry. This position also serves as the executive assistant for the Montana Association of State Grazing Districts and the Montana Public Lands Council and represents the associations at the state legislature.  PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS The Director of Natural Resources is expected to demonstrate professional skill, high standards, sound judgment, and professionalism. It is important for this position to exhibit a high level of communication to enhance working relationships both internally and externally. Successful applicants will have the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a calm and pleasant demeanor. Problem-solving and an attention to detail will be critical in this role. A prior knowledge of the demographics served by the Montana Stockgrowers Association is preferred. Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree and experience in a related field. To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to Kori Anderson at kori@mtbeef.org. The application deadline is July 31, 2018.     A Montana cattle group is hoping its $300 million beef export deal with Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com will still move forward despite the escalating U.S.-China trade war, according to a report on China’s Xinhua news service. JD.com's pledge to buy $200 million worth of Montana beef in the next few years has not been canceled, an executive with the Montana Stockgrowers Association told Xinhua in an interview. "We are still talking," Jay Bodner, executive vice president of the stockgrowers group, was quoted as saying. The stockgrowers group signed a memorandum of agreement with JD.com in November. The Chinese internet retailer also committed to spend up to $100 million to build a meat processing facility in the state. The Trump administration last week imposed a 25 percent tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports. China said it would add its own 25 percent import tax in response, on top of an existing 12 percent tariff. Bodner said his group’s 2,500 members are hoping another round of proposed U.S. tariffs announced Tuesday — 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese goods — will not kill the biggest beef deal in Montana's history. JD.com's offer to help build a slaughterhouse in Montana also represents a new potential profit center for the state's cattle industry that will eliminate costs to ship cattle to processing plants in Colorado and Nebraska, Bodner said in the interview. He added that his group’s deal with JD.com might have to be scaled back if the trade war lasts longer than a month or two, according to the report.       The Canadian government has announced an investment of up to C$14 million to help the country’s beef industry to boost sustainability and exports, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said in a news release.  Ottawa’s contribution to the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) adds to the BCRC’s own contribution of up to C$7.6 million, for a total investment of about C$21 million. BCRC is a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, AgriScience Clusters. Funding for the Sustainable Beef and Forage Science Cluster will be used to improve the sustainability of Canadian beef and forage production, growing beef exports and supplying high-quality Canadian beef to people around the world.  The Canadian beef sector accounted for C$9 billion in farm cash receipts in 2017. Exports of Canadian beef and cattle totaled nearly C$2.41 billion last year.